Alive: Lent DevotionalsSample

Alive: Permission to enjoy yourself

It was for freedom that Christ set us free…

Are we truly embracing that freedom? Or are we letting the cares of life make us grow cynical? Life is not life if it is merely a crawl towards the end, where the only joy and hope is beyond it.

What was Christ’s victory if not that we might have abundance in this life as well as the eternal one? Part of our calling is to help bring Heaven to Earth. The kingdom ought to be a place of joy; on more than one occasion, Jesus describes it using the metaphor of a feast.

Trials will come. The world is still broken, and we cannot avoid pain in our lives. But let us not be sold the lie that our well-being does not matter. This life that God has given us is to be lived. To “eat and drink and be glad” is itself an act of worship.

Prayer:

Our Father,

Who reached down from heaven with such love – may we not miss the joy in the gift of our living. May our hearts find gladness in the days You have given us. May we grasp with open hands the opportunities for life abundant that You give to us. Amen.

Author: Tarryn Pegna, Tearfund